INDIANAPOLIS  The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 1 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2010 calendar year. SPJ Region 1 includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Central/Eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. This year, the contest received almost 4,000 entries across SPJs 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on April 9 during the Region 1 SPJ Spring Conference held in Providence, R.I. First place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in early May.

The winners are listed below. For additional information on the Mark of Excellence awards, please contact Awards Coordinator Lauren Rochester at lrochester@spj.org.

2010 Region 1 Winners

Four Year College/University winners:

Breaking News Photography First Place: Comfort at a time of loss - by Michael Felletter, Pennsylvania State University. Second Place: Three-car crash causes delays on George Street  by Ramon Dompor, Rutgers University. Third Place: Fatal Fire  by Michael Felletter, Pennsylvania State University.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper First Place: The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania. Second Place: The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University. Third Place: The Daily Collegian, Pennsylvania State University.

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper First Place: The Maine Campus, University of Maine. Second Place: The Ithacan, Ithaca College. Third Place: The Miscellany News, Vassar College.

Best Affiliated Web Site First Place: The New Paltz Oracle Online Edition  by The New Paltz Oracle staff, SUNY New Paltz. Second Place: HandshakeMag.com  by The Handshake staff, Syracuse University. Third Place: Miscellanynews.com  by The Miscellany News Staff, Vassar College.

Best Independent Online Student Publication First Place: Philadelphia Neighborhoods, Temple University. Second Place: Scienceline, New York University. Third Place: The NewsHouse, Syracuse University.

Online In-Depth Reporting First Place: Apart from War by News21 news team, Syracuse University. Second Place: Amagou  by Michael Felletter, Pennsylvania State University. Third Place: The temple and the wrecking ball  by Michael Felletter, Pennsylvania State University.

Online News Reporting First Place: After Apartment Fire, a Tale of Two Families by Andrea Swalec, CUNY. Second Place: Industry NYC  by NYCity News Service Staff, CUNY. Third Place: Five years later, search continues for DA  by Laura Nichols & Andrew Metcalf, Pennsylvania State University.

Online Opinion & Commentary First Place: A Welcome Home for All; Ban the Shackling of Pregnant Inmates; Doing Away with Lines  by Rhoda Feng, Stony Brook University. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

Best All-around Non-Daily Student Newspaper First Place: The College VOICE, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: Outlook Student Press, Rockland Community College. Third Place: No Award.*

Breaking News Reporting First Place: Murder and manhunt in Mercer County by Dmitry Gurvits & Sara Gatling, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: High school students protest education cuts  by Kelly Smith, Mercer County Community College. Third Place: No Award.*

Editorial Cartooning First Place: Susanna Perlov, Rockland Community College. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

Feature Photography First Place: Roadside Memorials  by C.J. Harker, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

Feature Writing First Place: Letchworth: The Village of Secrets  by Lindsay Buteux, Rockland Community College. Second Place: Growing pains of a young nation: Life in South Africa, post-apartheid  by Maxwell T. McAdams, Delaware County Community College. Third Place: Transgressions on Mass Transit  by Susanna Perlov, Rockland Community College.

General News Photography First Place: Wind storm batters aviation fleet  by Jason Pomerantz, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

General News Reporting First Place: Law and Disorder: Sheriff interrupts class  by Dmitry Gurvits, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: 9/11 protests at Ground Zero  by Daniela Rocha, Mercer County Community College. Third Place: Lighting Up Outside Child Care Center  by Susanna Perlov & Ariella Chamish, Rockland Community College.

In-Depth Reporting First Place: 15 years after Megan's Law, are we any safer?  by Daniela Rocha & The College VOICE staff, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: Religious Groups, Tolerance Thrive at RCC  by Josh Blachorsky, Rockland Community College. Third Place: Open-License Textbooks Lower Costs  by Elchanan Heller, Rockland Community College.

Photo Illustration First Place: Crime Up-tick at MCCC  by Jason Pomerantz, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: Cheating and Sex - by Ian Mauro, Rockland Community College. Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Column Writing First Place: Bob Stewart, Community College of Philadelphia. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

Sports Photography First Place: Vikings take Essex 2-1  by C.J. Harker, Mercer County Community College. Second Place: No Award.* Third Place: No Award.*

*Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. Judges are not required to select first, second or third place winners.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.